Outreach progam helps veterans in Gardnerville

GARDNERVILLE, Nev. (MyNews4.com)-- Northern Nevada veterans are getting a helping hand Tuesday. The Nevada Office of Veterans Services is using their rural outreach program to help veterans file claims with the VA.

"We're out there to help them we will spend whatever time we need to," Public Information Officer Charles Pullen with the Nevada Office of Veterans Services says.

NOVS is reaching out to some 30,000 plus veterans who live in rural Nevada towns.

"The problem for many of those veterans in those rural areas they simply don't have the capacity to commute to get to locations such as Reno or Sparks," Pullen says.

So the outreach program ROVER brings the commute to them.

"Make them feel there is a community they can be a part of even though they are remote that there is assistance that can help tie them into getting the benefits that they need," Pullen says.

A veterans service officer will meet with each veteran who either walks-in or makes an appointment in each town they visit to discuss their benefits and services they're eligible for. Then they'll help them file a claim with the VA.

"It is helpful to have someone there who can walk them through the process," Pullen says.

Veterans are advised to bring a copy of their DD-214 discharge document and/or current VA claim(s) correspondence. If the claim involves their dependents, veterans should bring marriage and/or birth certificates as well as social security numbers of their dependents.

ROVER in Gardnerville is Tues. Jan. 29th from 10am-3pm at the Douglas County Senior Center, 2300 Meadow Lane. To call in advance to set up an appointment call Barbara at (775) 321-4880. Walk-ins accepted.

"To let them know that the community, that the government are actually trying to help them as well and that's really about the services they've provided for our country that they went out there to defend our freedoms," Pullen says.